The JLS Foundation recently announced Hoosick Falls Central School senior Laura Stevenson as the winner of the Foundation’s annual scholarship.
Stevenson, 18, of Hoosick Falls, was among five finalists from the HFCS Class of 2009 who participated in a networking trip to New York City in September. The other finalists were Mary Donohue, Nicole LaCroix, Samantha Merwin and Ben Taylor. The networking day was hosted by John Liporace Jr., Managing Partner at Taylor, at his office in the Empire State Building. During the trip, the students met successful professionals from various fields of work including finance, medicine and sports.
Following that day, students were asked to write a 250 word essay about their experience in New York. Stevenson’s essay was selected as the winning one, and she will receive a $1,500 scholarship. A $1,500 donation will also be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a national voluntary health organization dedicated to finding cures for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and Myeloma and to improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The donation will benefit the Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter of the Society, which services the Hoosick Falls area.
“We had a great group of students again this year. They were all very engaged during the trip, and it’s no surprise to see them already utilizing the network of people whom they met. I really hope they continue to build those relationships because I know it will help them even more in the future,” said Liporace.
The JLS Foundation, which honors the memory of the late John Liporace Sr., was created to empower high school students at HFCS to realize their fullest potential by exposing them to a variety of career opportunities, connecting them to a network of business leaders and awarding them with the financial resources to pursue their careers. Prior winners include Kaitlyn Pirie (Class of 2006), Jessica Abramovich (Class of 2007) and Brandon Foster (Class of 2008).
The JLS Foundation is accepting scholarship applications from the HFCS Class of 2010 in March. Applications will be distributed at the school. For more information about the JLS Foundation, log on to www.thejlsfoundation.org.